does the economy have enough kick in it to withstand the sequester? and a big win for activist investor david einhorn in his fight to get apple to share the wealth, with its shareholders. that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! if you get a paycheck, no doubt you have seen it shrink this year. higher payroll taxes have taken 2% out of working americans take home pay. at the same time, gasoline prices have been rising and fast. together, this cuts into the spending power of consumers, and that's bad news for a host of companies, from restaurants to retailers. erika miller reports on how some of these firms are trying to fight back against the pay pinch. >> reporter: virtually every worker in america is taking home 2% less in pay this year because of higher payroll taxes. that's not just bad for consumers, it's also bad for businesses. three out of four households are cutting spending to cope with lower pay. for one out of three households, it means eating out less. consumers are also changing where they dine. >> we are moving from casual dining, down to fas